Amazon Adds Library Lending Feature to Kindle

Hopefully in time for summer beach reading fun, Amazon announced their new Kindle Library Lending feature that will allow Kindle users to borrow eBooks from more than 11,000 U.S. libraries. The feature is set to go live “later this year” and will work on all types of Kindle devices and apps.

The service, powered by OverDrive, will allow you to re-check out a book or buy it from Amazon and retain your annotations. Your notes will not appear if someone else checks out the book. Most libraries might only carry a few copies of each title, so you may have to wait (or buy), and most books have a lending period of 7 to 14 days (depending on the library).

OverDrive is the leading provider of digital content for public and educational libraries in the United States. The company also offers direct check-outs through BlackBerry and Android devices now, and the company supplies a similar system for Sony eReaders. But the partnership with Amazon is new. According to the press release, the company had this to say, “We hear librarians and patrons rave about Kindle, so we are thrilled that we can be part of bringing library books to the unparalleled experience of reading on Kindle.”

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Anna Attkisson

A lover of lists and deadlines, Anna Attkisson covers apps, social networking, tablets, chromebooks and accessories. She loves each of her devices equally, including the phablet, three tablets, three laptops and desktop. She joined the Laptop Mag staff in 2007, after working at Time Inc. Content Solutions where she created custom publications for companies from American Express to National Parks Foundation.